I've been making dutch apple pastries for a couple of weeks now, and I've noticed that the apple filling that spills from the pastries turns dark brown like apple syrup (or apple butter, apple paste or apple cheese) The taste is similar, as well. But the texture is off.

The question is how to make a real batch of apple syrup? Apple, sugar & heat for some amount of time? Or are some other ingredients needed?

4 Answers
4

I admit, I've never attempted making stroop (apple or otherwise) on my own ... but some discussion on a forum post regarding Dutch cooking mentioned that there's something called 'apple cheese' which sounds like it might be quite similar, based on the description of the end consistency and the amount of sugar used.

When I make apple syrup, I use apples (2 cut, peeled, sliced, and cored), sugar (1/2c), and two tablespoons of water. Combine everything, let the sugar dissolve, and then bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 10 minutes until the apples have become nice and soft and the syrup thickens. I usually do it for a bit longer just to be on the safe side. I have also found that adding a bit of cinnamon gives it just a bit extra!

Apples go brown when the air hits the flesh - if they are cooked quickly or kept away from air until cooked, they don't go brown. Lemon juice can delay the browning. Cooking without stirring can result in lessened browning, because the top layer in the pot protects the mass from the air.

It can be hard to resist stirring, but you have to remember that stirring will also introduce air.

With a lot of things, I microwave apples in a covered dish, cut in large chunks. After that, they can sit around for a while before I get around to using them.

I suspect that the reason that BaffledCook asked about it turning brown is because Stroop is brown ... it's darker than most toffee, because they boil it down 'til it caramelizes. If you follow the "apple syrup" link in the question, there's a picture of bread with stroop -- the stroop is the molasses looking stuff (but it's not quite like molasses ... maybe when warmed ... at room temperature, it's more spreadable, like a jam)
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JoeJun 24 '11 at 16:57

I will sometimes make a different sort of Apple Syrup that is more like maple syrup in consistency.

The process starts with making Apple Sauce. Once the apples have been boiled and sent to be mashed, I take the water that was used, strain out large particles, and then start boiling it down until I get a syrup like consistency out of it. I almost never have to add anything to sweeten it, but that will really depend on the mix of apples you started with.